It seems like yesterday
But it was long ago
Janey was lovely she was the queen of my nights
There in the darkness with the radio playing low, and
And the secrets that we shared
The mountains that we moved
Caught like a wildfire out of control
'Til there was nothing left to burn and nothing left to prove
And I remember what she said to me
How she swore that it never would end
I remember how she held me oh-so-tight
Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then

Against the wind
We were runnin' against the wind
We were young and strong, we were runnin' against the wind

The years rolled slowly past
And I found myself alone
Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends
I found myself further and further from my home, and I
Guess I lost my way
There were oh-so-many roads
I was living to run and running to live
Never worried about paying or even how much I owed
Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
I began to find myself searching
Searching for shelter again and again

Against the wind
A little something against the wind
I found myself seeking shelter against the wind

Well those drifter's days are past me now
I've got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out

Against the wind
I'm still runnin' against the wind
I'm older now but still runnin' against the wind
Well I'm older now and still runnin'
Against the wind
Against the wind
Against the wind

Still runnin' (against the wind)
I'm still runnin' against the wind
(Against the wind) I'm still runnin'
(Against the wind)
I'm still runnin' against the wind
(Against the wind) still runnin'
(Against the wind)runnin' against the wind, runnin' against the wind
(Against the wind) see the young man run
(Against the wind) watch the young man run
(Against the wind) watch the young man runnin'
(Against the wind) he'll be runnin' against the wind
(Against the wind) let the cowboys ride
(Against the wind) aah
(Against the wind) let the cowboys ride
(Against the wind) they'll be ridin' against the wind
(Against the wind) against the wind
(Against the wind) ridin' against the wind


Lyrics submitted by kevin

Against the Wind Lyrics as written by Bob Seger

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Against the Wind song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

50 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +14
    General Comment

    This song is so touching if you really listen to it. It's about growing up and it's kind of bittersweet. It reminds me of an old boyfriend from high school and my early college years, and how innocence fades away from us, and how the people that have affected your life the most and made you who you are today, aren't really around anymore because we grow from that, and move on. It's a very depressing song in a way, but it's the best and i love it.

    scarlet08on December 06, 2005   Link
  • +7
    General Comment

    ive always loved the line... Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then such a classic song!!

    poohblueskyon July 02, 2003   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Best song Seger ever did, period

    sandonhelmon April 28, 2004   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    Its awesome. Its just a song about the ups and downs of life;how things change. Reminds me of an old girlfriend, too. I can relate to this song, because so much of this song reminds me of me, like this...

    "It seems like yesterday But it was long ago Janey was lovely she was the queen of my nights There in the darkness with the radio playing low And the secrets that we shared The mountains that we moved Caught like a wildfire out of control 'Til there was nothing left to burn and nothing left to prove And I remember what she said to me How she swore that it never would end I remember how she held me oh so tight Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then"

    Because me and her, we were in a long distance relationship, noone said we'd last. 2 years, not such a long time... we got to see each other often, even though we were 1400 miles apart. And she said she'd never leave me, wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then, as Bob Seger would say. Great song.

    JeffR12345on June 13, 2004   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    I remember quite a while back when I was riding my bike to work, I was on a slight but verly long incline and the wind was blowing against me. I was struggling to keep my speed up when an older man in a old jalopy of bike with no gears, just the direct front to back gear, cruised right past me. Not really that much faster than me, but nice and steady. (I was riding a multi-speed bike, around 18 speeds, an ideal feature providing a certain advantage, on top of the fact that he was probably 3 times my age.) I noted with a sort of comical internal irony how this might look to a thirdy party. All the while the harmonic outro chorus played along in my head over and over. It always make me laugh when I think about, which usually happens every time I hear this song.

    An addition to your comment notmj20: "I also like when he talks about deadlines and commitments. he is no longer free; he comformed in exchange for not having to search for shelter again and again."

    Yet he's still running against the wind.

    This song strikes me as a reminder that conforming for the sake of conforming never made anybody's life easier. You'll always be runnin' against the wind, so make your life yours and stick to your guns. It'll make the struggle that much easier.

    Mnementhon June 14, 2007   Link
  • +3
    General Comment

    makes a beefcake like me cry like a lil kid.

    HalfordBeatlesManon September 03, 2011   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    The GREATEST ARTIST singing a great song. His voice is perfect, and he gets into the mood of the song. The sign of a truely great artist

    ommie1111on March 19, 2010   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation

    My take on this is similar to a few of you. This song will always remind me of my first love. Long distance relationship, 8 hours apart. When I first heard this song it was scary how much I related to the first part of this song. We burned like a wildfire out of control until there was nothing left to burn and it hurt, it hurt a lot. My head was filled with all the what-ifs. What if I moved there, what if I never bothered, etc. Its kind of funny how songs imprint a specific moment from your life into your mind. This song will always remind me of Angie

    hipnotyqon April 26, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song's not a cover by seger... seger wrote it. many of the songs the highwaymen performed on their cd's were covers. oh and the 4th member of that supergroup was waylon. great piano, great lyrics. i can listen to it over and over again.

    mistercrowleyon October 22, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    According to Timothy White, a writer for Rolling Stone, "'Against the Wind' is about trying to move ahead, keeping your sanity and integrity at the same time."

    During an interview on 100 FM The Pike, Bob Seger said that "Against the Wind" came about from his days as a high-school cross country runner.

    shanshanshabangon August 19, 2007   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Amazing
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.